Small Manufacturer and Job Shop Uses Planning, Scheduling, and Tracking Tools from User Solutions, Inc. to Become More Efficient and Competitive

SOUTH LYON, Mich., Oct. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lue Manufacturing, based in Goshen, IN has been producing fine custom made countertops, cabinetry and case work for 40 years. User Solution's affordable production planning tools have been providing immediate returns for Job shops serving the construction industry. According to Steve Gronger, President, "In the past, with steady demand, we have been able to manually manage how to staff workcenters and deliver Jobs on time. However, that model has been significantly changing. We are seeing increased demand, plus customization and dynamic changes to our schedule from our customers who expect us to accommodate their requests immediately! We just didn't have the tools to accurately plan a viable schedule for meeting these new requests and the last thing we needed was to adapt a complex ERP-type system to try to run the entire business. We found User Solutions after looking for a stand-alone affordable planning tool and decided to get started with their Excel Add-On, Resource Manager for Excel."

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141029/155396

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141029/155397

Steve continues, "It was an easy decision. We were already familiar with Excel and the product had the finite capacity planning, scheduling, and Gantt Charts reporting to address our immediate challenges.  Within a few days, we were able to validate and clean up our estimated data as well as find and react to workcenter bottlenecks before Jobs were in danger of being late.  In addition, when we asked about how we currently drove hourly estimates from a Job value in dollars, User Solutions instantly showed us how we could keep that same formula to create new Jobs for planning and scheduling directly in the Excel based Scheduling Tool. They adapted perfectly to our environment."

Deeper Benefits with Resource Manager-DB
Based on the quick and easy return on investment with Resource Manager for Excel, and the promise of additional benefits of being able to track actual production and reschedule on demand, Lue Manufacturing upgraded to Resource Manager-DB. Mr. Gronger reports, "As soon as we started to get a handle on our bottlenecks and efficient resource allocation for planned Jobs, we wanted to dig deeper and start tracking actual production in order to have a more real-time schedule that reflects reality. For the first time, it's a snap for us to track planned schedule vs actuals progress and make adjustments (for example, working a Saturday, or working overtime, or adding manpower) before we have a crisis."

Steve concludes, "As a small manufacturer (Job Shop serving the construction industry), these tools are a perfect fit for us. We were not looking for the fanciest graphics or complicated configurations or a long and difficult implementation process.  I have been able to basically do all I was hoping for with a minimal learning and implementation curve. Furthermore, these tools will provide us a competitive edge by being able to prove we can deliver on time and accommodate changes mid-stream without disrupting our schedule."

New Features
New: Critical Path and Theory of Constraints scheduling algorithm now reduces complex scheduling environments to a simple structure that is easy to configure and maintain. 

Enhanced Crew and Skill level scheduling supports the dynamic nature of crew/work center based resources with various skills and efficiency ratings per skill.

New: Advanced Reporting includes Visual Scheduling Gantt Charts by hour, day, week, and even month.  Drill down and drag-and-drop to reflect actual start or end dates for any workcenter.

These new features will enable operations of any size to plan, schedule, and track resources more efficiently, resulting in improved customer service and profitability.

Affordable and Compatible
A single user version of Resource Manager for Excel ranges $1,200-$1,800.  A single user version of Resource Manager-DB ranges $5,000 - $10,000.

Resource Manager is the first tool that can be scaled for SMBs (Small and Medium Sized Businesses) with no formal systems in place, as well as by larger companies to augment existing ERP systems.

For more information, contact: www.UserSolutions.com or call toll free (800) 321-8737.

Media Contact:
Jim Convis
248-486-1934

SOURCE User Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://usersolutions.com